Disk cartridges for information storage typically comprise one or more disks that are housed in a hard plastic shell. The disks have a hub located near the disk center, and the shell has an aperture that provides access for a disk drive spindle motor to engage the disk hub. The cartridge typically also has a head opening for enabling a read/write head to access information stored on the disk. The head opening is typically covered by a moveable closure, such as, for example, a spring load shutter or a sliding flexible door member.
Advances in disk and disk drive technology have provided disk cartridges with increasing speed and data storage capacity. Along with increased speed and capacity, such cartridges often have greater probability for dust and gaseous chemical contamination of the disk media, and have high cost. Moreover, the information that is stored on such cartridges often has value worth many times the price of the cartridge. Future advances will likely increase the cartridge value.
FIG. 7 (Prior Art) shows a JAZ cartridge 56, which illustrates such advantages and features. The JAZ cartridge, which is produced by the assignee of the present invention, is described in U.S. Pat. Des. No. 378,518 (Summer et al.) and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Cartridge 56 has a substantially perpendicular box shape, except for its access end (that is, the end having the flexible door) that has a partly rectilinear and partly arcuate shape. Cartridge 56 houses a disk (not shown) for storing magnetic information.
Dust infiltration into a cartridge may interrupt or corrupt the information stored on the disk. Physical damage may break the shell or cause the stored information to become unrecoverable. Such damage may occur during shipping, handling, or storage of the cartridge.
It is therefore desirable to provide a device that protects a disk cartridge from physical damage and from dust infiltration, and that is easy to use.